Isaiah 43:18-19
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
This has to be one of the most promising scriptures in all the Word of God. It has to do with beginning again. Starting over. Putting the past behind us. Refusing to dwell on all the things that went wrong. Choosing not to think on all the disappointments and things that caused discouragement and feelings of hopelessness. These verses hold out so much hope for us, because the truth is, we all need to start over again at times in our lives. We’ve all experienced things we’d like to forget. Things we wish hadn’t happened. Angry words with people closest to us that caused hurt and pain to them and to us. How many of us, if we had the opportunity to do so, would go back, re-visit that incident, and call back words that were spoken, and nullify acts that were carried out that separated us from people we love. How wonderful it would be if we could “erase” mistakes that were made, sins that were committed, all the wrong choices we carried out.
I’m sure we could all journey back in our past and say, ” I wish that hadn’t happened. I wish I hadn’t done what I did. Why did I hang out with the people I did, and do the wrong things I did? I wish my marriage didn’t have to end in divorce. Why did I have that abortion? How could I do such a thing? Why did I get involved in drugs, alcohol, immorality? Why didn’t I make better choices in my life? Why didn’t I give more thought to my future and make better plans? Why didn’t I work harder and get a better education? Am I locked into my present situation? Can I ever break out of my circumstances and start all over again?
If you believe in God and in the Word that He has spoken, no matter how impossible it might seem or how far you have strayed away from Him, the fact is, He can make all things new in your life. Not some things. All things. He doesn’t want you going through the rest of your life bowed down in defeat, in a bad attitude and spending the rest of your life rehearsing over and over again all the things that didn’t turn out right. Instead he wants to do what only He can do: give you the opportunity to start all over again. That’s His promise to you in these verses in Isaiah 43.
God is eager to do a new thing in your life. He wants to give you a brand new beginning. A new start. The wonderful thing about walking with God is that when you make the decision to serve Him with your whole heart, when you realize that, apart from Him, you can do nothing of any lasting worth and value, that He is your life and that in Him you live and move and have your being ( Acts 17:28 ), you suddenly realize that God wants to take full responsibility for your life : to care for you, provide for you, lead and guide you through all the difficult places in life and give you a peace and a joy that can only come from Him.
Notice in verse 19, God promised that He will ” make a way in the wilderness.” The wilderness represents a place of uncertainty, a place of danger. There’s lack in the wilderness. There is reason to fear when we’re walking through the wilderness. It’s not a pretty place. It’s not a friendly place. There is danger in the wilderness. But God promised that He would make a way in the wilderness. A way of safety, a way of protection, a way of provision. He will walk with us in that solitary, lonely place. He will encourage us, refresh us and lead us to green, fruitful places even as we walk through the desolate times of our lives. He didn’t say. ” you’ll never have to walk through the wilderness.” But He did promise, ” I will make a way, I will provide for you supernaturally in the wilderness.”
Don’t believe the lie of the enemy. You are not who he says you are. You are who God says you are. You are His workmanship ( Ephesians 2:10 ). You are more than the sum total of your feelings of inadequacy, failure and ” what could have been.” Make the decision today to stop dwelling on the past. The future God has in store for you, the plans He has for you ( Jeremiah 29:11 ), and the wonderful things He wants to do in you and through you, are far greater than any failure or mis-step you may have made in the past.
Friend, think about this. God is greater than any problem, any distress, any sickness, any mistake you may have made. He can “un-do”, turn around, bring to naught, and cancel out any assignment the enemy had planned against you. No matter what you may be facing today, or the mistakes you’ve made in the past, or even what your lot in life may have been up to this point, God Almighty is the only One Who has the power to make “all things new” ( Revelation 21:5 ). “All things” means exactly that. All the things that you feel are against you. All the things that hurt you. All the things that are holding you back from experiencing the life God ctreated you to live.
If you will simply, in childlike faith, turn to Him today, and say ” Lord, I believe you have the power and the willingness to do something new in my life today. I receive, by faith, the new thing you want to do in my life today. I refuse to live the rest of my life in depression, in regret, in misery, with feelings of failure, and inadequacy. I take you at your Word. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am your workmanship. You formed me in my mother’s womb. You planned out every day of my life ( Psalm 139:14-17 ) before I was ever born. Days of joy, days of victory, days of purpose and meaning. You planned that my life would bless untold multitudes of hurting, desperate people.
” Before you created this world, you knew me, loved me, called me and chose me to know you intimately ; you had it in your heart that I would walk with you and fulfill your purpose for my life. I refuse to allow my divine destiny to be stolen by the devil and the lies he whispers in my ears to turn me from what you planned for me before the beginning of time. I am who you say I am, I can do what you said I can do, and I will possess what you said belongs to me in your Word.”
We’re just a few days from a brand new year. This is a perfect time to not simply make ” New Years” resolutions that last a few days, but rather to determine to make a permanent change in our thinking, our believing, and our actions. Let’s allow the Lord to do what He desperately longs to do. Give us a brand new beginning. A brand new start. If you read verse 20 and 21 in chapter 43 of Isaiah, you will see that God formed us for Himself. That we would show forth His praise. In other words, He wants us to put us on display before the people of the world as trophies of His goodness, His mercy and His blessing.
God wants to do things in our lives every single day that will cause us to give Him praise, glory and honor for all the wonderful, supernatural things He does for us. This is our calling, our destiny. Make the decision today to forget the former things. Stop dwelling on the things of yesterday, and start looking forward to all the great things the Lord has in sore for you. You have a great future awaiting you ! Don’t miss it.
JM
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OUR FIRST BOOK !!
It’s coming soon! My publisher says, ” early 2012.” The final proofreading is finished, and final editing touches are being applied. Just a few technical things to iron out, a new photo for the back cover, and a few endorsements that have been promised, but not yet received, are needed to finish the book and send it to the printers. Stephanie and I want to thank all of you that have requested the book for your patience and understanding. Please bear with us for a few more weeks, and when it comes off the presses, you will get it just as soon as we can mail it to you. I promise you, you will not be disappointed when it arrives !!
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THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM SHALL BE PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD
We are praying, planning and waiting on the Lord for direction concerning our International ministry outreaches in 2012. Nicaragua and Ethiopia are currently in the planning stages, and are almost certainly on our agenda for 2012. We are meeting with Directors of Bible Schools in Italy soon, and will learn more about these. Also, I am praying about opportunities to minister to Pastors/Leaders in southern India, and also to preach in churches and hold crusades there as well. As soon as these plans are made, we will let you know about them. What a privilege to bear the message of the King throughjoutv all the world. What a blessing it is to take a Living Christ to the 4 corners of the globe. To reach the unreached, to tell the untold, and to bring Good news to hurting, suffering humanity.
Our sincere thanks and gratitude to all of our faithful, Covenant Partners who are helping us do the work of the ministry that we have been called to carry out. Without your faith, prayers and support we simply could not do what we are doing. It’s people like you that help people like us go!
JM
THANK YOU JIM!
May Lord bless you and your beloved ones!
andres